Will the new Ultimate Predator contain Arnold Schwarzenegger's DNA in The Predator? One thing's for certain, director Shane Black looks to be shaking up the franchise in this new entry. With this new team of outcasts (comprised of Boyd Holbrook, Keegan-Michael Key, Thomas Jane, Trevante Rhodes, and Alfie Allen), the director intends on mixing in some more humor than what was used in the earlier high-octane action thrillers.

Another interesting addition to the story is the introduction of Jacob Tremblay playing the part of Boyd Holdbrook's son, an autistic child with the ability to easily learn languages. Black once again seems to be diverging from the typical action movie by using a young boy as one of the major characters to interact with the Predators.

Related: The Problem With The Predator's Teaser Trailer

But it's the Predators themselves that are the biggest change in the upcoming movie. The Predator will feature more than one Yautja causing trouble, and these are not the typical monsters that were shown in the other films. This time, according to the plot synopsis, the Predators are "stronger, smarter and deadlier than ever before, having genetically upgraded themselves with DNA from other species." The Predators are always looking for a way to gain an advantage over their prey and dominate the world where they are hunting, which leads to a very interesting theory: that this new Predator will contain DNA from Earth's mightiest Predator slayer Major Alan "Dutch" Schaefer.

There's A New Mysterious Predator

Ultimate Predator in The Predator (2018)

As much as fans root for the humans to be victorious, everyone gets even more excited to see the newest Predator incarnation - and The Predator knows this, with the new addition of the Ultimate Predator. One of the issues Black had with previous Predators was that they looked "like a guy in a football suit; big, bulky guy just stomping around", something this new Predator directly addresses; it's not only smarter and stronger, it's also "more graceful, more light, more athletic quality, literally like a predator."

With the new advancements in make-up and creature design, it sounds like Black has taken the necessary care to deliver a new Big Bad worthy of - based on the trailers - fighting the regular, iconic Predator. This new monster won't be the usual brutish beast that's been seen smacking humans around a jungle; it'll look more like a professional athlete as it stalks its prey. But despite the focus in the marketing, we've learnt very little about what the Ultimate Predator actually does or how did this creature come to be - and that's where it gets interesting.

The Predators Have Been Harvesting DNA From Around The Galaxy

Shane Black's goals for The Predator is to pay homage to the original film while also bringing something new that hasn't been in the previous movies. The Ultimate Predator is key to this, not just in terms of threat level but also its creation. In the previous films, the Predators have used every means necessary to combat their opponents, but in The Predator they're kicking it up a notch. Speaking to Empire (via AvPGalaxy), Black said that a key part of making the Predators "scary and mysterious again" was to introduce some DNA meddling:

Bigger, meaner and nasty as hell. Ten feet tall and midnight black, bristling with spines, skin thickened with chitinous organic armour – the product of harvesting DNA from the deadliest creatures on every world it’s hunted. The ultimate expression of Predator dominance. It is, it’s fair to say, one giant, ugly motherfucker.”

Related: The Predator Is In The Original Canon - Here's How

This concept of the Predators manipulating DNA - which has also been teased in the trailers and synopsis - has been a long time coming. In Predator and Predator 2, we had only seen the creatures work with mechanical and electrical technology; Predator 2 revealed that they traveled all over the galaxy and collected trophies, but it wasn't until 2010's movie Predators that there was a hint of them experimenting with genetic modification.

In Robert Rodriguez's original script for Predators, he had them hunting other aliens for their DNA. This idea was dropped in the theatrical release, but one scene in the movie nevertheless opened the door: Nolan (Lawrence Fishburne) told Royce (Adrien Brody) that the Predators were different every time they returned from a hunt. It appeared as if they were experimenting on themselves as a way to improve their abilities. Nolan never mentioned what he meant by this experimentation, but it was possible that the Predators were looking into using DNA from their victims to enhance their hunting skills.

It's possible that Black had taken note of this, and decided to expand on the DNA concept in his movie. But, if so, has he taken it further than Rodriguez previously thought?

Page 2 of 2: Is Dutch's DNA In The Ultimate Predator?

Dutch and The Predator

Theory: The Ultimate Predator Contains Dutch's DNA

If this new Predator will contain the DNA from all of the species' previous adversaries, that has to mean humans too. It's been repeatedly cited that The Predator is within the continuity of the previous films, so there are at least two tumbles on Earth prior to this movie that proves humanity's worth. Dutch showed that humans can be cunning, adaptive and creative problem solvers when encountering these great killers, all characteristics that would be extremely valuable to the Predators.

Watch: Two Predators Square Off in New TV Spot

John Squires from BloodyDisgusting has posited that the Predator contains Dutch's DNA, first on Twitter and, after the official Predator account retweeted it, in a detailed piece that used script leaks suggesting a human-Predator hybrid and the Ultimate Predator's Arnie-esque body.

What this would add to the film beyond a neat throwback to the original is unclear - Schwarzenegger isn't in The Predator (although was offered a role), so there's no direct connection between the characters and the monster - but it's certainly fitting of the heightened style and idea of returning to past terror's that's been powering Shane Black's production.

The looming question would be how the Predators were able to get Dutch's DNA if he defeated his Predator in the first film, although that wouldn't be too difficult to rationalize given the scope of the franchise. We know that the Predators have been to Earth multiple times, and Predators indicated they were able to do so stealthily to the point of kidnapping humans. Getting a DNA sample from someone, even the man who bested one of their own, is a much easier task.

Sideshow Collectibles Predator movie figure

Other movies could actually even explain why the Predators are doing this. In Alien Vs. Predator, the xenomorphs showcased their own form of natural DNA-meddling, with the Predalien a mixture of the two titular creatures. It's possible that witnessing this sparked something within the Predators, leading to them developing the Ultimate Predator. While the poorly received AvP has been roundly ignored by Ridley Scott's Alien prequels, there is the suggestion it's still canon on the Predator side of the franchise, with Lex's spear from the first film rumored to be one of the connections to past movies.

The Predator's connections to previous movies are particularly interesting as it's been reported many were added as part of the substantial reshoots, mainly to the third act of the film. While it's a second layer of speculation, it's possible that more than just a handful of Easter Eggs, these new scenes added in this connection to make the new, Ultimate Predator all the more captivating.

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It must be stressed that this is all just a theory, and a rather crazy one at that; it's a twist that fundamentally relies on affection to the first film, rather than anything in the story Black's constructed. And, even if the Ultimate Predator is a human hybrid, there are many other possibilities when it comes to the DNA source. But if The Predator wants to find a way to bring Arnie back without actually having the actor present, there are many worse options.

More: The Predator: Every Update You Need To Know

Key Release Dates

  • The Predator 2018 poster
    Predator
    Release Date:
    2018-09-14